brussels sprouts » Gimme Some Oven

roasted brussels sprouts, bacon & pepperjack macaroni & cheese

This past weekend, I had the privilege of traveling to Roanoke to gather with a bunch of food bloggers for the first-annual Mixed conference. I will be posting more photos and stories of the event soon. It was a total blast!

One of the highlights of the weekend came as a total surprise to me. My Roasted Vegetable Macaroni & Cheese ended up winning a midnight mac ‘n’ cheese contest sponsored by Dreamfields Pasta! I was more than a little shocked, and have no doubt that my face turned beet red as I walked up to receive the prize. But they were awesome, and even gave me a red sash, black feather boa and a little tiara. So fun! :)

Oh my goodness. I think the reality of planning 2 back-to-back trips before leaving the country for 3+ weeks is finally settling in.

It is only the beginning of the week, and I have already pulled two ridiculously late nighters and have been buzzing around a million miles an hour during the days trying to check things off my to-do lists. No complaints — it has already been a wonderful autumn and I’m completely excited about what’s ahead these next two months. But I’ve come to accept that spare time and sleep are definitely going to be a little limited right now, so I’m trying to soak of moments of joy and relaxation whenever they can be found!